I was up late Thursday night before the race finishing up my skirt.  I’m very happy on how it all turned out.  Friday, the family was super busy.  Besides normal work, lunch time swim workout, and kid pickup, we had a soccer game and the hubby was taking the boys to vintage car racing.  I not only had to get my stuff ready, I had to help out getting my boys stuff put together.  I was able to crash at 10:15 up in our play room on the futon.  I was getting up at 4:15 am and didn’t want to wake up the hubby (and dog) if I could help it.  I was driving our huge SUV down (we call it the U.S.S Aponte cause it’s that big and it can hold 8 very comfortably with lots of stuff.  The whole group of us (most of the group that ran the Donna Marathon & Half) were all up and texting each other.  I got ready, food, coffee and loaded up by 4:45 am.  I met up with group 1 at a local grocery store.  Then we headed down to pick up group 2 right off the interstate.  We made a pit stop at a nice looking gas station just outside Auburn and then made our way to the start line to get our bibs and t-shirts.  Then we set out to park at the finish line.

The one in the white jacket and orange headband was schooling everyone on how to pose with your knee popped out.  it makes you look skinnier.  lol

Like the split???  yeah she was a gymnast and can still do crazy flexible stuff that I can’t even imagine.

So we headed out to walk back to the start line.  It was just under a mile or so and pretty easy to get too.  Once there, everyone made potty stops and I kept taking pictures.  🙂

If you notice, they are in numerical order by their bib numbers.

The sparkle skirt sister’s needed a shot together

Last minute right before the start, my friend found me.  I had completely forgotten that she was coming.

Here is the whole group

And the 1/2 marathon people are off!!!

 

I cropped these two so you can actually tell where my friends are 🙂

I sat around waiting for the 10k race to start and then finally the 5k group was allowed to line up.  So I was expecting this race to be almost downhill or flat the entire time.  I checked out the elevation charts several weeks ago.  Well it wasn’t so flat.  The first 1/2 or so was mostly downhill but then we started climbing back out.  You know – what goes up must come down well it usually goes both ways.  I was running along and was rather surprised at my 1 mile time – 10:07 – seriously I was shocked but my pace felt fine.  This was the downhill parts that were helping me go a little faster.  I got to 1.5 miles and hit a good uphill section and took a quick walk break.  I ran a little over 1/4 of a mile and part of a hill and needed a minute to catch my breath.  So I took one more short walk and saw I had a slow long hill to climb up and just started running.  My second mine was 11:42 – nothing to be ashamed of especially knowing I walked a little.  Now it’s a game in my head to see how much more I can run without stopping.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and hoped that I could see the stadium soon.  I’m coming up on the stadium and looking at my watch.  I actually realized that I could get a new PR, not just a new PR since I hurt myself, no a I just ran this 5k in the fastest time ever PR!!!  At that point I knew I couldn’t stop running until I crossed the finish line.  The clock at the finish line was not my actual time.  If you didn’t have a watch on, you would be very disappointed.  It was the time since they started the 1/2 marathon group.  So there was an extra 30 min on there.  I stopped my watch and looked down at it.  I just about fell over – 33:25 – that is 50 seconds faster than my last 5k back in November.  I also averaged just under an 11 min mile for the entire race.  I was so happy!!!  My leg did great and I only felt my hamstring and hip flexor periodically and they were not bad.  Obviously it didn’t slow me down at all.  🙂

So was this the hilliest I’ve run – NO – but it was unexpected and that was the same reaction that the 1/2 crew said too.

So I found me a perch in the stands so I could watch for my friends.  Once I found the first one, I met them on the field and cheered in the rest.

They are all rockstars (plus I think I am one too!!) a lot of them had new PR’s and all agreed it was a much harder course than expected.  We’ve been there, done that and will move on.  We walked back to the truck and changed then headed out back home.  Later that afternoon we met for a cookout and had a great time.

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My triathlon is getting ever closer.  2 more week!!!  I did have a successful shopping trip to All 3 Sports (they have a website) to figure out what I am wearing for my race.  Took multiple trips to the dressing room, though I should have been secretly filming the guy being fit for a wetsuit.  It was comical just listening to him.  I found a basic black tri top and tri shorts.  I have a perfect place to put my Mom’s Tri this Town logo on it.  See!!! I also ordered neon green fabric to make a skirt.  It’s quick drying and moisture wicking.  I will try and use it for the run portion but worst case I wear it before and after to look cute.  Well as cute as you can be in head to toe spandex.

So hopefully the weather will cooperate so I can go do the mock tri tomorrow with the PTC- Triathlon club.  The mock tri is being run by a friend so that is wonderful.  Worst case scenario I will get in the lake and then go home after that.  If it’s too wet I am not riding.  I don’t need to fall and hurt myself this close to the race.

Also last week I got my friend out on her first road ride with her bike.  I’m her biggest cheerleader and sometimes force her to move out of her comfort zone.  🙂  She is planning on the tri later in June that is in Callaway Gardens.  I am hoping I will do that race too.  I have several friends that want to do that one as their first, or as their next tri.

I will post how the Mock tri goes and how my new tri outfit works out.  🙂